The Golden State Warriors were crowned NBA champions of the 2021-22 season less than a week ago and it seems as though everyone outside of San Francisco is focused on other things.
There’s the trade talk, Kyrie Irving rumors and lots of speculation regarding the upcoming free agency period. But before we get to that, we must talk about the NBA draft. Here’s what we know:
- The draft is Thursday, June 23rd.
- One of Jabari Smith Jr., Chet Holmgren or Paolo Banchero should be the first pick off the draft.
Everything else is speculation. But one could make the case that even the race for the No. 1 pick is no sure thing.
For weeks, the oddsmakers at Tipico Sportsbook had Banchero with the third-shortest odds in the draft and the longest of the aforementioned Smith-Holmbren-Banchero trio. But suddenly, Banchero’s odds have soared from +2000 to +220. surpassing Holmgren (+230) for the second-shortest odds.
What does this mean for the draft itself? It’s hard to tell. But one thing is certain: if you hadn’t bought Panchero’s stock a while back, you missed out on a heck of an opportunity to earn some low-risk, high-reward money.
The Pick: Paolo Banchero selected No. 3 overall (-270)